Sunday, January 25, 2015

Situation Report

East
of Krakow, South Poland, September 2, 1939: The German 5th
Panzer Division has broken through the outer defenses in Southern Poland and is
attempting to breakthrough and encircle the Polish army before it can fall back
on the city of Krakow. Elements of the
Polish 6th Division, supported by elements of the Polish 21st
Highland Division are dug in to block the way.

GAME LENGTH:
12 turns

VICTORY CONDITIONS:
Victory points are awarded for the elimination of opposing units (see
Order of Battle section). Reducing a
unit to half strength will earn ½ the VP value of the unit, rounded down. In addition, 1 VP is awarded for controlling
the house in the Northeast (referred to as "Victory House" in the scenario) and 1 VP for the bridge in the Southwest at the end
of the game. Both start the game under
Polish control.

THE
BATTLEFIELD:

The picture is
looking North, thus the bridge is in the lower right and theVictory House is in the upper right. The river is
unfordable. The line of lichen
represents brush growing in a small creek bed that is crossable (as a creek or
gully) and offers soft cover. It does
not block line of sight. Note there is a
roadblock in the road between the hill on the left and the intersection by the
village. Also, there are small dug-in markers at both locations where the creek bed meets the road. This represents the defenders destroying the
culverts, so that the gully essentially extends across the road functioning as a
roadblock and hard cover for defenders at this location.

The Poles must deploy
according to the instructions on their Order of Battle. All units, except the TKS tanks, may be dug
in. The Germans then deploy up to 12” in
from the Western (left) table edge. The
Germans get the initiative on turn 1, therefore, it is possible that both sides
are in shooting range of each other on the opening turn.

POLISH ORDER OF BATTLE

Fearless Trained

6th
Infantry Division

Company
A 1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4
Rifle Stands

1
HMG

1
Light Mortar

1
Rifle Stand with Anti-Tank Rifle

Deploys in the woods, East of the
road.

Company
B 1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4
Rifle Stands

1
HMG

1
Light Mortar

1
Rifle Stand with Anti-Tank Rifle

Deploys in the cluster of houses in
the center of the table. (The village of Pless)

Company
C 1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4
Rifle Stands

Deploys south of the houses between
the road and the river.

Note Companies B & C may deploy
as far forward as the road block.

Division
Support

1
37mm Anti-Tank Gun (attached to Company C)

1
Forward Observer (attached to Company C)

[Off-Board]
3 100mm Howitzers

The ATG & FO may be attached to
any of the Companies in the 6th Division.

Recon
Tank Company 0 VP

3
TKS Tankettes (MG mounts only)

Deploy anywhere west of the road
block.

21st
Highland Division

Company
A 1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4
Rifle Stands

1
HMG

1
Light Mortar

1
Rifle Stand with Anti-Tank Rifle

Deploys in the hills or along the
creek East of the cluster of houses.

Company
B 1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

4
Rifle Stands

Deploys in the Southeast between
the bridge and the creek.

Highlands Division
Support

1
37mm Anti-Tank Gun (attached to Company B)

1
Forward Observer (attached to Company A)

[Off-Board]
3 75mm Howitzers

The ATG & FO may be attached to
any of the Companies in the 6th Division.

One
Medic & Supply Truck assigned where needed.

GERMAN ORDER OF BATTLE

Confident Veteran

5th
Panzer Division

Light
Panzer Company 1 VP

1
Panzer I Command Tank

1
Panzer I B

3 Panzer II C

Medium
Panzer Company 1 VP

1
Panzer I B

1 Panzer III E

1 Panzer IV D

2 Panzer Companies & Company A with Orders to move through the woods and take the Victory House.

Motorcycle
Company 2 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 MG Stands

1 Light Mortar

1 HMG

1 Forward Air Controller

Motorcycle Mounts for all the above

Infantry
Company A 1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 Rifle Stands

1 HMG

Infantry
Company B 1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 Rifle Stands

Company B tasked with making a demonstration out in front of the village to draw fire away from the flanks. Only to advance if the defenders vacate the village.

Infantry
Company C 1 VP

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 Rifle Stands

1 Forward Observer

[Off-Board] 3 105mm Howitzers

Motorcycle Company & Company C tasked with moving along the river and taking the bridge.

One
Medic, Fuel Truck & Supply Truck assigned where needed.

Priority Air
Support.

TURN 1

[Above] The Medium Panzer Company descends into the
woods.

[Above]
The 2 leading Motorcycles (The Aircraft Forward Observer & Light Mortar)
attempt to by-pass the Polish defenses with an “end run” only to be cut down by
the HMG positioned in the gray house in the distance.

The
Germans had the luck of an early arriving Stuka, which dove on the ATG
positioned on the hill, but to no effect.

TURN 2

The
German tanks advancing through the woods are first spotted by the Polish
Defenders of A Company manning the line there.
The men in the trenches became fearful; armed with only an Anti-tank
rifle while facing a formidable Panzer IV.
On the opposite side of the German advance, the Motorcycle Company chose
to hold up behind the hill and wait for the Forward Observer (attached to C
Company) to catch up on foot.

It
was decided that they needed to call in some smoke to shield their advance up the river
from the Polish defenders.As Company C
moved up, they were spotted by the Polish FO who called in a 100mm barrage on
the Company.As luck would have it, the
Forward Observer was caught in the artillery barrage and the Germans would have to rely on a Command Group to call in the artillery.

Twice
Blessed. A second Stuka comes swooping
in for a crack at the FO & ATG occupying the hill… and for a second time,
the entrenchments proved worthy enough to protect them from the divebombers.

TURN 3

The Company
Commander for the Motorcycles successfully called in a barrage with smoke
rounds to shield their advance along the river.
The Polish 100mm guns bombarded them none-the-less, to no effect. In exchange, the cycles killed the one Polish
squad dug in on the river bank that was blocking their advance.

In
the woods, all hell was breaking loose for the Polish A Company. The Panzer IV came on with a Panzer III,
Panzer I and a pair of Panzer II’s in support.
A bright spot came when the ATG mounted on the hill was able to get a
clear flank shot at the Panzer IV as it crossed the road, knocking it out of
action before the assault.

The
rest of the German tanks assaulted the A Company line and wiped them out,
scoring a Victory Point for the Germans.

Panzers
emerge from the woods and overrun the Polish defensive line. Note the Panzer IV at the top never makes it
across.

Along
the river, the cycles sped ahead while the artillery stoked the smoke screen
for one more turn. Another barrage of
100mm shells came down on the Germans; this time taking out the HMG in the
Motorcycle Company. Yet, they pushed on.

The
Polish 75mm batteries now swung into action as the FO in the hills behind the
forest began spotting the German armor coming through the forest.

With
the armor coming from along the far side of the table, the Poles were able to
issue an Order Change detaching the ATG from Highlands B Company by the bridge
and moving it to A Company up by the Victory House. The crew limbered the weapon and hauled it
down the hill away from the river. They had a ways to go to man-handle the gun over to where A Company was deployed.

TURN 5

The
leading German tanks began to emerge from the woods, immediately coming under
small arms fire from Highlands Company A.
With an Anti-tank rifle and the HMG in the gray house, they were able to
suppress the first two light tanks.

Further
back in the woods, the other tanks from the Light Panzer Company were getting
hung up and required constant work to get unstuck.

German
logistics: Waiting for tanks to get out
of the woods and the infantry to catch up, the Light Panzer Company refuels and
restocks their ammo before the next phase of the fight. Priority
for the flank was to get the unit cohesion back together, allow the supporting
infantry to catch up and resupply before the next assault.

In
the meantime, the Poles dropped another 75mm barrage on the woods; destroying
the Panzer III in the process. This was
enough to shake the morale of the Company Commander and the remainder of the
Medium Panzer Company quit the field.
Score 1-to-1. This also relieved
the Poles of the heavy tank threat brought by the Germans.

Along
the river, the smoke screen lifted and German Company C came under fire from
the 100mm batteries as they continued their advance. By now, they were behind the lines of the
Polish C Company. However, the Poles
remained in position as German Company B (out in front behind the hill) began
firing on the Poles to keep them in position.

Despite
Company C coming under fire, the Motorcycle Company dismounted and assaulted
the Poles at the foot of the hill guarding the bridge. Both sides lost a squad, but the Germans were
able to consolidate over the hill and into the midst of Highland Company B.

TURN 6

As
the Panzers continued to retool in the woods, one of the Panzer II’s came out
and attempted a failed assault on the Polish trenches. It promptly withdrew once the tank commander
realized he couldn’t overrun these trenches as easily without the
numbers to back him up.

In
the center, the Polish TKS in the village added their firepower toward
repelling the Germans to their front.
Company B, hiding behind the hill before them, lost a squad and withdrew
back out of the line of fire. They could
ill-afford a failed platoon morale test at this stage of the battle.

Back
at the bridge, the dismounted Motorcycle Company assaulted Highlands Company B
once again; this time killing the command and causing the Company to route from
the battlefield. This also left the
bridge in German hands:

Germany:
3 Poland: 1.

With
the loss of the bridge and the Germans to the front pulling back behind the
hill, Poland’s company C is chooses to withdraw from the
forward line and attempt to recapture the bridge behind them.

TURN 7

While
the rest of the Light Panzer Company is regrouping, a Panzer II makes a second attempt
to overtake the Polish defenders. This
time the tank is suppressed by the HMG in the house.

To
deal with the new threat of the Germans capturing the bridge, two of the TKS in
the village moved to fire out the back of the village at the Germans. The HMG on the nearest hill from Highlands
Company A has been jammed since Turn 5.

The
Motorcycle Company takes up positions in the blown culvert (hard cover) and
creek bed (soft cover) to defend the bridge while the remnants of C Company
move past them toward Victory House (upper right).

The
Polish artillery continued to come down in earnest, with the 75’s pelting the
woods and the 100’s now redirected on the Germans defending the bridge. None of the shells found a target. In the meantime, the ATG that was scurrying
across the field toward Highland Company A was gunned down by the Germans as
they took up defensive positions along the creek.

Drawing
fire: German 105’s hit the village in an
attempt to take out the MG’s on the tankettes.

TURN 8

The river side
of the battlefield was in flux as Company C had pulled out of their positions
and were closing on the Germans defending the bridge. Both sides exchanged small arms fire with no
hits being scored. Another barrage on
the village also came up empty. The
Poles had to hold off using their 100mm guns as they only had 1 more salvo left
and anticipated needing smoke to cover their advance across the field. In the woods, 75’s continued to fall to no
avail.

By now, German
Company A was emerging from the woods and exchanging small arms fire with the
defending Poles of Highland Company A.
One of the Panzer II’s gunned down a squad of defenders in the trenches.

TURN 9

The tide of the
battle suddenly changed: By the bridge,
concerted firepower from the TKS, Company C and several of the squads from
Highland Company A caused both of the German Companies guarding the bridge to
sustain losses and fail their platoon tests.
What’s more, the Motorcycle Company was worth 2 VP.

Score: Poland 4,
Germany 3

Over by the
woods, the Panzer II’s of the Light Panzer Company finally burst out of the
woods, firing on and assaulting the elements of Highland Company A guarding the
treeline. At the same time, the infantry
were heading up the table edge in the direction of Victory House. As it appeared they had no answer for the
tanks and their right flank was being rolled up, several of the forward squads
from Highland A were ordered to pull back from the creek and head for Victory
House. The race was on!

TURN 10

The race to Victory House
is on! To the left, remnants of A
Company, from the 21st Polish Highland Division fall back from their
positions in an attempt to save the house while, to the right, German A Company
is in a foot race with support from the Light Panzer Company still emerging
from the woods.

As the line
began to collapse toward Victory House, the Panzer II’s stayed behind the hills
to prevent giving the remaining ATG a clear shot at any of them. They were able to roll up or shoot several
more stands from Highland A Company, including the HMG and FO resulting in the
Company failing a platoon morale test and routing from the field. Poland 4, Germany 4.

TURNS 11 & 12

By now it had
become a literal foot race to the objectives.
The Poles had nothing to prevent the German infantry from capturing
Victory House on Turn 11, so the Germans took a brief 5-4 lead. Both sides made sure that no one was in the
line of fire, but the Poles still attempted to wrest control of the house from
the Germans by firing their remaining artillery on the house in the hope of
causing a panic test.

On Turn 12, with
no Germans able to bring them under fire, Poland’s C Company reached the bridge
(+1 VP for Poland, -1 VP for the Germans who lost control of the bridge). Thus, the final score was Poland winning, 5-4
decided on the final turn of the game.

Game played: December 23-24, 2014

OBSERVATIONS

This is a game
where the use of Orders was critical toward maintaining a well-balanced
game. In a game where players could just
do what they want and shift their resources according to their aerial view of
the table, the Poles could have shifted quickly and the battle would not have
been nearly as close.

However, by
using Orders, the semblance of realism can be maintained- especially where the
Poles did not have a good command & control structure on the
battlefield. Therefore, their static
forces in the village and forward trenches did not react to being by-passed by
the German armor or motorcycles until the threat of them being surrounded
became real. Likewise, by keeping small
Company B out front and taking “pot shots” at the forward Polish positions, the
Poles had to hold their ground until they were sure no attack was coming up the
middle.

The tactics utilized
by the German commander (the “demonstration” to the front while flanking forces
attempted to by-pass the lines) were frequently used in real life and can only
be replicated by following Orders and not allowing players to meta-game
(reacting to things they cannot see).

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Situation Report

Jordanow,
Southern Poland along the Slovakian border, September 2, 1939: The previous day the German 22nd
Panzer Corps, part of the 14th Army, crossed the Polish border from
Slovakia in an attempt to outflank the Polish Krakow Army defending
Silesia. The Germans crossed the Tatra
passes and assaulted the towns of Chabowka and Nowy Targ with orders to seize
the town of Myslenice by the 3rd.
The area was only lightly defended by a single infantry regiment who
were able to defend Nowy Targ from 3 oncoming German divisions, but Myslenice
still fell on the 1st. The
Polish command realized the Germans were on the verge of breaking through their
lines and encircling the Krakow Army so they ordered the highly trained 10th
Motorized Cavalry Brigade to Jordanow to stop the German advance. Overnight the Brigade was transported to the
area and immediately found themselves involved in heavy fighting in the hills
south of Jordanow. A heavy German
barrage started at 0500 hours and shortly afterward, all three Divisions
assaulted the Polish Brigade.

GAME LENGTH:
11 turns

VICTORY CONDITIONS:
The Germans must 1). Have
uncontested control of the village center, which is comprised of the circular
(lighter shade) road. “Uncontested
Control” means no unsuppressed Polish stands in any of the buildings inside the
village center (circular road). 2). AND
the Germans must exit 10 stands/vehicles off the Western (left) edge of the
table. The transport vehicles & the
Armored Recovery Vehicle do not count toward this victory condition.

THE BATTLEFIELD:

DEPLOYMENT/MOVEMENT: The Polish forces deploy anywhere on the
table, at least 24” in from the Eastern (right) edge of the board. If not deployed in a building, any Polish
unit may start the game entrenched. The
Germans enter the table from the Northeast Corner of the board (upper right). The zone from which they will
enter stretches as far as the road that connects the top table edge to the circular
road, and up to 24” down the right-side table edge. Note that the Germans must move 10 stands off
the Western (left) edge of the table by the end of the game (Turn 11).

SPECIAL
RULES

REINFORCEMENTS: Note that there are Special Rules regarding reinforcements
and the make-up of your units. See the
Order of Battle section regarding reinforcements and force make-up.

SERVICE UNITS: Both sides will have supply trucks, medics and fuel trucks to address logistical issues.

AIR SUPPORT: Starting on Turn 3, the German player rolls a
d6 at the start of each turn. On a roll
of ‘1’ he gets Stuka air support. Follow
the appropriate rules to determine the number of aircraft, etc. The German player may roll for Stuka air
support at the start of every turn thereafter.

SMOKE GRENADES: All German Command Groups are equipped with
Smoke Grenades. To use them, during the
fire phase roll 2d6. An 8 or less means
the Group has them ready for use and can use them during that turn. Place the smoke marker anywhere within 4” of
the German Command Group.

SQUAD LEADER
SCENARIO: After playing this game several times, we decided to modify the Platoon Morale rules so that they match the Squad Leader rules more closely: Once a platoon fails a morale check, rather than removing it from play, it falls back a full move and continues to do so until it rallies. In addition, since Squad Leader gives each player a list of units with no unit organization, we allowed each player to assemble them into command groups of their choosing (like a Kampfgruppe).

PRELIMINARY
BOMBARDMENT: After all Polish units have
set up, but before the game begins, the Germans have a preliminary bombardment
Phase. For every unit on
the table, roll on the following table to determine what kind of artillery
piece hits the structure/unit and work out damage accordingly. Roll to range in and to hit only. Ignore placing the template or modifying the 'to hit' roll based on the number of guns,

D6
Roll

Artillery
Type

D6
Roll

Artillery
Type

1-3

3x 81mm
Mortars

5

1x 120mm
Mortar

4

2x 105mm
Howitzers

6

1x 150mm
Howitzer

ORDERS OF
BATTLE

POLAND

Elements of 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade

Company A

1 Command Rifle Stand

6 Rifle/MG Stands2 75mm M1897 guns

Deployed in the house and near the road block on the south ring road, this unit will be an offensive unit used to advance and capture some of the empty houses before the Germans get to them. The guns were detached from the rest of the company and dug in on the hills behind the town to get a clear field of fire.

Company B

1 Command Rifle Stand

2 37mm ATG

3 Anti-Tank Rifle Stands

1 Light Mortar

2 HMGs

1 Medic

Deployed straddling the circular road on the north side, this is the expected route the panzers will be taking. One ATG was dig in alongside the road while the other set up behind a fence.

Company C

1 Command Rifle Stand

3 Anti-Tank Rifle Stands

1 37mm ATG

2 HMGs

2 Light Mortars

Deployed on the south side of the ring, anticipating holding the houses near the road block when A Company jumps off. The ATG was dug in further back to get a line of fire across the center toward the north side of the ring road and an HMG was positioned in the house outside the back of the ring.

Company D

1 Command Rifle Stand

1 Rifle Stand

3 Rifle/MG Stands

d6 Wz34 Armored Cars (MG mount only)

Reinforcement group entering the North table edge on Turn 3. Cannot enter the table in the zone where the Germans enter the table. Their Orders will be to enter from beyond the railroad tracks and move to the group of houses west of the circular road in anticipation of heading off the advance.

Company E

1 Command Rifle Stand

1 Rifle Stand

3 Rifle/MG Stands

Reinforcement group entering the South table edge on Turn 3. Since they can enter from anywhere, they will be coming in the lower, right (southwestern) corner in an attempt to come in behind the advancing Germans to recapture any weakly defended houses in the town.

GERMANY

Elements of the 22nd Panzer Corps

Force Command

1 Commander-in-Chief Rifle Stand

1 Second-in-Command Rifle Stand

Entering the East table edge and occupying eastern most houses in the town once Company A secures them.

Company A

1 Command Rifle Stand

2 Rifle Stands

3 MG Stands

1 Engineer Stand

1 HMG

1 Medic

Tasked with taking and holding the houses on the Eastern end of the town.

Company B

1 Command Rifle Stand

2 Rifle Stands

3 MG Stands

1 Engineer Stand

1 HMG

Tasked with cutting across the northern side of the town (inside the circle) and capturing the houses on the Western side of the town.

Company D(Company C eliminated after an early battle when the groups were consolidated)

1 Command Rifle Stand

2 MG Stands

1 Engineer Stand with Flamethrower

1 HMG

1 Forward Air Observer ("advantage awarded to German player for winning previous game)

Headed up through the woods in the middle of the town, then tasked with assisting either Company A or B in securing the town.

Panzer Company E

1 Panzerbefehlswagen Command Tank

1 Panzer II D

1 Panzer 35(t)

1 Panzer III D

Orders to move through the center of the village, engaging defenders as they go, then breaking out and heading west to the opposite table edge.

Panzer Company F

1 Panzer II D with Tank Commander

1 Panzer 35(t)

1 Panzer 38(t)

1 Panzer IV C

1 SdKfz 9 Armored Recovery Vehicle

Orders to advance along the northern edge of the battlefield (outside the circular road) and break through to the West.

Reinforcements Group

1 Command Rifle Stand / Unarmored SdKfz 251 Halftrack

3 Engineer Stands & 3 Rifle Stands in 3 Heavy Trucks

3 Rifle Stands in 3 Light Trucks

2 SdKfz 222 Armored Cars

Starting on Turn 4,
the Germans roll to see if the Reinforcements can enter the table. Consult the table below to determine when
they arrive.

Turn

D6 Roll (or less) required

4

1

5

3

6

5

They will
automatically come in Turn 7 if not sooner.
German reinforcements enter the Eastern (right) table edge.

PRELIMINARY
BOMBARDMENT

Most of the
barrage was ineffective, however the group along the South circular road took
it a little harder with 2 ATR Rifle Stands being killed and 4 stands pinned
down.

TURN 1

The battle began
with the Germans entering the table from the northeast corner. For the sake of timeliness, any units that
could move at the double did so as the German command was more concerned about
where they needed to be at the end of the day vs. any threats posed by the
Poles.

[Above]
Company A to the left, Panzer Company E leads Company D toward the center while
Panzer Company F advances up the right.

Despite
the range, the Polish Anti-tank gun closest to the road chose to take advantage
of such a targeting opportunity and attempted to hit the Panzer III as it came
up and crossed the road in the lead of the German column.

Polish Anti-Tank weapons waiting on the Panzers.

Polish positions Turn 1
looking North. Company A has moved
forward from the fenced in yard to occupy the brown house and is headed for the
church. Company C is standing fast while Company B can be seen across the way guarding the north road.

TURN 2

Moving out ahead
of the infantry, Panzer Group E came under ineffective anti-tank fire as it
crossed the village square and pressed into the western part of the
village. The Polish infantry began to
prepare for the inevitable armored assault.

On the right,
the leading Panzer 35(t) was able to take out the anti-tank gun by the road.
Despite the fire coming from the Poles, most of the rounds bounced harmlessly
off of the armor.

TURN 3

The opposing
infantry finally encountered each other; with German Company A firing at the
Poles in the trees across the village square while part of the Company
assaulted the church. The Panzers of
Company E closed in for an assault on the Polish defenders in the western part
of the village.

The lead Panzer II for
Company E takes a direct hit from the ATG dug in the western part of the town. The Company failed its morale check and aborted the assault on the compound behind; falling back
into the trees on the village green to regroup.

Turn 3 reinforcements arrive for Poland with Company E entering through the woods in the southeastern corner. Further off to the West
and North Company D arrived with a pair of armored cars leading the
infantry to take up positions in the houses at the base of the western hills. Here, the 75mm batteries still wait for targets.

During the first 2
turns of the game, the Poles were able to pull 5 Rifle/MG Stands from Company A and a command
stand forward into the church. It looked
to be a formidable task to take the church as there was only 1 door in the
front and one window to each side low enough for troops to climb through. The Germans assaulted with 4 stands including
an Engineer squad.

Top down view of the assault on the church (roof removed).

The Germans came
hard into the church; killing 3 of the Polish defenders and taking the church
for their own. To capitalize on their
momentum, one squad and the engineers exited the church through the front door
in anticipation of assaulting the next house.
Unfortunately, the Poles had an HMG positioned there and the Germans
lost both stands in Turn 4.

TURN 4

Panzer Group E
rallied, but fell back behind the trees in the center of the village for a
much-needed refueling. Company A spotted
the Polish reinforcements arriving to their left flank and chose not to advance
further than the church once the 2 stands were gunned down by the HMG. For now it was a matter of consolidating
their gains and awaiting reinforcements.
The Polish escapees from the church fell back safely into the next group
of houses to the west.

To the North, German Company B had secured the shoe factory uncontested and were starting their advance
toward the next group of houses (where the Polish ATG’s were located). The Panzer IV firing in support of them
knocked out the second ATG, leaving only the one in the rear (by the burning
Panzer II) to contend with.

As Panzer
Company F continued to push forward (essentially by-passing the village
defenders at this point), they came to the next group of houses where the
Polish Worker’s Hall was located. The Panzers
couldn’t get at the HMG in the front door, but closed in on a lone ATR group positioned
at the fence line. The Polish anti-tank
rifle team scampered away and somehow made it into the Worker’s Hall despite MG
fire from both tanks.

Close call for Polish anti-tank rifle team as it scurries for shelter in the Worker's Hall.

TURN 5

With the Polish reinforcements
blocking their advance onto the table, the German reinforcements entered the
board on foot; positioning themselves between the Poles and the village.

Although
out-numbered, the Poles remained in position on the small hill as they had the
cover of the woods and were firing on Germans out in the open. In the firefight that ensued, the Germans
lost 3 stands while the Poles lost 2, but neither side broke from combat.

At the village
square, German Company D set up a firing line and put more pressure on the few
defending Poles in the tree line behind the church; gunning down one of the two stands
positioned there. The other stand made
an attempt to assault the church, but was cut down before they could go through
the window. This resulted in
Company A failing a Company morale check (only the Command Stand remained), so
the command group abandoned the house beside the church and began falling back
to regroup with the guns in the hills (attached to Company A).

Panzer Company E
makes another advance on the Polish defenders beyond the Shoe Factory with Company
B advancing alongside. The Poles cut
down 2 of the advancing Germans before the Panzer 35(t) and Panzer III gunned
down the 3 stands and Medic defending the compound, leaving it undefended.

North of the village, Panzer Company F enters the Worker’s Hall
compound exchanging fire with the Poles in the surrounding buildings.

The Panzer 38(t)
went crashing into the smaller house, successfully defeating the command group
in an assault. The loss of the command
stand required another company morale roll to be made, but without a command
stand, it was an automatic failure.
Therefore, the ATR and HMG in the Worker’s Hall escaped across the railroad tracks and quit the field.

TURN 6

With the German
reinforcements and Company A holding their position, they were able to put
enough firepower on the ambushing Polish reinforcements, wiping out the entire
group. With no more threat to the rear,
they called back for their trucks to come forward.

Across the
battlefield there was a lot of fire exchanged between both sides with bullets
bouncing off tanks, fences and buildings.
Although the infantry sustained no casualties, the remaining Polish ATG
claimed it's second victim when a 37mm shell penetrated the front of the oncoming
Panzer 35(t) from Panzer Company E. With
this loss, the remaining 2 Panzers failed their Company morale and quit the field. Their luck was compounded by the 75mm guns on the hill knocking out a Panzer 38(t) by the Worker's Hall.

The sign of a good gun
crew is the number of wrecks nearby.

TURN 7

With the German reinforcements mounting up in their transports, the Armored Cars moved ahead and brought their guns to bear on the next house; neutralizing the HMG there. With this gun knocked out, the road was clear for the trucks to navigate around the roadblock by going to the left along the hedgerow with the next obstacle being an HMG in the house in the distance.

For the first
time in the battle, Luftewaffe support arrived in the form of 3 Stuka
divebombers. The Forward Observer called
them in on the nuisance ATG that was blocking the advance of
everything up the middle. Although the
Stukas missed the ATG, they killed off the fleeing Company A Command (which had
been withdrawing to the guns in the hills).
With no command and a Company Morale check required, the Polish gunners
abandoned their guns and fled the field.

Stuka attack misses the intended target, but is able to to encourage the 75mm batteries to quit the field.

It was time for Company D to assault the
remaining Polish defenders holding the fence of the last house. The Germans lost 1 stand while wiping out the
remaining 3 Poles (the Commander-in-Chief was inside the house). In addition, the armored cars leading the
breakthrough group (German reinforcements) successfully removed the HMG in the
house guarding the hedgerow (making the area safe for the trucks to advance).

Company D's final assault on the remaining Polish defenders.

With the Worker's Hall secure, Panzer Company F focuses their attention on the last remaining outpost blocking them from their breakout to the table edge.

TURN 8

The Poles were
unable to get an Orders change to reposition their units to block the oncoming column of
trucks. The
Germans had too much force defending the houses in the village center, so
Polish Company D resolved to exchanging fire with them from across the road. If they could thin the ranks, they would
assault to retake the houses in the village center.

The armored cars
fired futilely on the advancing column, but their presence only drew off the 2 German armored cars leading the column. Unsupported, the MG's on the Polish Wz34's would have sliced up the infantry in the trucks. But with the SdKfz 222's closing on them, they had to focus on the closest threat.

Meanwhile,
Panzer Company F came out of the Worker’s Hall Compound and assaulted the 3
stands defending the next group of houses.
They were no match for the Panzer IV and lost 1 stand while the others
fell back and set off the demolition charges left by the fence. The Panzer II (which was targeted) was not
hit and the tanks finished off the remaining 2 stands. All that remained were 2 stands and the
command stand in the house. Never the
less, they passed their Company Morale check and still were not able to get an
Orders Change.

Panzer Company F assaulting the last Polish defenders.

TURNS 9 - 11

The Panzer IV
& Panzer II were able to get rear shots on the Polish armored cars. Along with the German armored cars, they were
able to knock out one and pin the second.
With virtually no other defenders in the way, the Germans headed for the
Western table edge.

The Panzer II,
Panzer IV and Panzer 35(t) of Company F made it off. The trucks carrying the reinforcements were
held up crossing the hedge and could not get off by the end of the game.

As for the
Poles, the German armored cars kept the remaining armored car suppressed and
the couple of infantry still in the house could not score a casualty on the
Germans. Therefore, they were never a
threat to get back into the village center before the end of the game.

The Germans were
able to control the village, but only had 3 tanks off the table by the end of
the game. Therefore, it was a Polish
victory. Like Mokra, it would have been
a German victory if the game had been gone for 2 more turns.

AFTERMATH

Historically, despite
suffering heavy losses, the Poles managed to stop the German assault and the
Germans withdrew by noon. However, the
numerical and technical superiority of the Wehrmacht was tremendous and after 3
more failed assaults, the Germans were able to capture Jordanow. The Polish withdrew under cover of an armored
train.

About Me

A friend and I are fulfilling a Bucket List Wish: Gaming World War II beginning to end. I am using this forum to capture the scenarios created/used and battle reports for posterity. In time I am certain I will run out of space and old ones will be replaced with more current ones.